Pro-Palestinian activists damage planes at UK military base
Pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England, damaging and spraying red paint over two planes used for refuelling and transport.
Palestine Action said two members had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire on Friday, local time, putting paint into the engines of the Voyager aircraft and further damaging them with crowbars.
Aerial footage showed red paint marks on the aircraft and police officers nearby.
"Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets," the group said in a statement, posting a video of the incident on X.
Britain's Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident, and said it "strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the vandalism "disgraceful" in a post on X.
The government said two planes were being checked for damage, and that the vandalism had not stopped any planned aircraft movements or operations.
"A full security review is underway at Brize Norton," Mr Starmer's office said.
"We are reviewing security across the whole defence estate."
British defence minister John Healey ordered an investigation and a review of wider security at the country's military bases.
"The vandalism of RAF planes is totally unacceptable," Mr Healey said on X.
"I am really disturbed that this happened and have ordered an investigation and a review of wider security at our bases."
Palestine Action is among groups that have regularly targeted defence firms and other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza.
The group said it had also sprayed paint on the runway and left a Palestine flag there.
The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led Palestinian militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all of the territory's residents and caused a severe hunger crisis.
The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.
Reuters
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Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. 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Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Britain's parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation. A total of 314 MPs voted in favour on Friday, with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle. The "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)" law would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less left to live the right to choose to end their lives with medical help. The vote puts Britain on course to follow Australia, Canada and other countries, as well as some US states, in permitting assisted dying. Supporters say it will provide dignity and compassion to people suffering, but opponents worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into ending their lives. The bill now proceeds to Britain's upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will undergo months of scrutiny. While there could be further amendments, the unelected Lords will be reluctant to block legislation that has been passed by elected members of the House of Commons. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government was neutral on the legislation, meaning politicians voted according to their conscience rather than along party lines. Starmer had previously said he was in favour of allowing assisted dying. Opinion polls show that a majority of Britons back assisted dying. Friday's vote followed hours of emotional debate and references to personal stories in the chamber and followed a vote in November that approved the legislation in principle. The vote took place 10 years after parliament last voted against allowing assisted dying. Opponents of the bill had argued that ill people may feel they should end their lives for fear of being a burden to their families and society, and some MPs withdrew their support after the initial vote last year, saying safeguards had been weakened. The 314 to 291 vote for the bill compared to the last November's result, which was 330 to 275 in favour. In the original plan, an assisted death would have required court approval. That has been replaced by a requirement for a judgement by a panel including a social worker, a senior legal figure and a psychiatrist, which is seen by some as a watering down. The Labour MP who proposed the bill, Kim Leadbeater, said that the legislation still offered some of the most robust protections in the world against the coercion of vulnerable people. Hundreds of campaigners both in favour and against the legislation gathered outside parliament on Friday to watch the vote on their mobile phones. Those in favour chanted "my decision, my choice", holding up posters that said "my life, my death" and photos of relatives who they said had died in pain. Those against the legislation held up placards that said "let's care not kill" and "kill the bill not the ill". Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
